1. Technical Field
The present development relates to composite intake manifold assemblies, in particular to covers of such assemblies.
2. Background Art
It is known to manufacture intake manifold assemblies for internal combustion engines by injection molding a composite material. Because an intake system is subjected to pressure pulsations due to the induction of air into engine cylinders in an unsteady manner, the intake assembly can add to the noise emitted by the engine and/or lead to vibration of the engine assembly. Composite intake manifolds may include ribs to mitigate NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) effects. However, one of the primary modes of an intake manifold plenum is a rocking motion, which is difficult to mitigate using only plenum shell ribs. Another approach to reduce noise and vibration is to provide one or more external brackets to enhance external stiffness. However, such brackets: are heavy, add to the part count, require assembly, interfere in underhood packaging, and are costly.